Bryce Harper Tops Best-Selling Jersey List Ahead Of Opening Day

Phillies RF Bryce Harper has soared to the top of the list of MLB’s most popular jerseys on the heels of his free agent signing with the club earlier this month. Harper, who ranked 13th in ’18, topped the list for this year thus far heading into Opening Day, based on sales of Majestic jerseys on MLBShop.com since Jan. 1. The top slot was a foregone conclusion after Harper’s No. 3 jersey set pro sports records for the most jerseys sold in the first 24 and 48 hours, respectively, after joining a new team, according to data from Fanatics-powered online shops. Yankees RF Aaron Judge, who topped the MLB list for both the ’17 and ’18 seasons, ranked second, while Red Sox RF Mookie Betts is third. Brewers RF and '18 NL MVP Christian Yelich makes his debut on the list, ranking eighth, while newly acquired Padres 3B Manny Machado is 12th, representing the first-ever Padre to appear on this list. Sixteen of the top 20 players are below 30 years of age (Eric Fisher, THE DAILY). Cardinals 1B Paul Goldschmidt ranks 8th on the list, and in St. Louis, Daniel Neman notes Goldschmidt's No. 46 jerseys are the "top sellers" at Busch Stadium, topping C Yadier Molina and CF Harrison Bader. However, Molina "still reigns supreme" among female buyers (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 3/28).

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SWINGING FOR THE FENCES: In Philadelphia, John George noted Harper is on the most recent cover of SI "holding up a bat with the logo" of bat manufacturer Victus Sports prominently featured. The brand, which operates as a division of Marucci Sports, "counts Harper among its customers." Victus Sports co-Founder Jared Smith said, "We don't have an exclusive deal with him, but I'd say he uses one of our bats 70 to 80 percent of the time." George noted Victus last year had about 23% of the MLB bat market, with its client roster made up of "about 90 big league players and three times that amount in the minors" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 3/27). Also in Philadelphia, Matt Breen notes Harper won last year's Home Run Derby "while swinging a Stars-and-Stripes bat that Victus handpainted for him." Other players that use Victus bats include Betts, Astros CF George Springer and Padres SS Fernando Tatis Jr. Smith said that Victus is the "second-most used bat" in MLB (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 3/28).

CAN YOU SEE IT? USA TODAY's Tom Schad notes Harper has signed an endorsement deal with contact lens brand Acuvue Oasys with Transitions and has "started wearing new photochromic contact lenses" that utilize technology that "adapts to changing light and is designed to minimize the effects of bright light on the eye" (USA TODAY, 3/28).